Schtumm.... Presents The Forcefields

THE FORCEFIELDS

Camping in a garden shed on England’s southernmost coast, The Forcefields forged their identity. There in the woods with a vintage synthesizer and a 1940s tank microphone, exuberant songwriter Julia Othmer and experimental producer James Lundie needed a way to protect themselves from distraction and focus on writing. So Lundie summoned a persona, Max Forcefield, to make space for creative magic. This magnetic field has now expanded to include a fantastical stage show with multimedia projections and an invitation for audiences to enter into their intimate and immersive forcefield of sound and light.

All this energy can be heard on their debut EP, Bridge (out October 2024), a song cycle about letting go and magnifying positivity. Othmer first heard Lundie’s transcendent music at a wild ranch house soirée on the outskirts of Los Angeles. She felt like she could walk inside the architecture of his songs. Two months later, she showed up on Lundie’s North London doorstep. They fell in love and joined their sonic worlds. Her piano-driven songs and vocal artistry were uplifted by his visionary production skills. Lundie fashions fresh sounds by rebuilding vintage synths—soldering and circuit-bending until they spark and hum anew. He loves to play with envelopes and filters, compressors and carbon microphones.

On their new album, you can hear Othmer’s vibrant voice granulated through Lundie’s shapeshifting process. Othmer was born to East German refugees in the fertile soil of Kentucky. Before she knew anything else, she knew she wanted to live inside of songs. She grew up playing piano and flute, performing with her high school marching band and singing in the concrete cathedral of her college dorm stairwell. She has performed at the Lilith Fair Festival (US), Live at Heart Festival (Sweden), North by Northeast (Toronto) and the Kauffman Center (Kansas City). Lundie grew up wild on the Cornish peninsula, thriving in its salty air, surfing the Celtic Sea and dreaming of sound. He taught himself guitar and, in his teens, discovered the magic of 4-track recording, drum machines, sequencers and samplers. He has composed and produced music for film, television and advertising with clients like the BBC, Budweiser, Johnnie Walker and Honda.

A Forcefields show starts outside the theater—the lobby hums with drones and shadow puppets light up the walls. Songs are cast like spells over artful and engaging video projections. Every interstitial moment of their performance is sewn together with time, space and music bending and blending at the edges. With productions that are scalable and site-specific, The Forcefields are equally at home in a black box theater, a festival stage or a makeshift backyard concert. The two songmakers are learning to lean into their artistic alter egos. Max Forcefield is a magnetic and mercurial character who, donning a silver cape and sandals, spreads positivity through sound. Aayama Forcefield is a warm, hyper-playful and eccentric creature who wants to connect with everyone. Their unabashed glamor is an invitation to amplify emotion and celebrate life. Their imaginary backstory spans time, space and history: from penning songs in Cairo during the third dynasty to dancing at 80s Berlin raves and singing rounds in the caves of Southern France.

The Forcefields emerge from a fantasy that’s based in honesty. The songs on Bridge are intensely human, yet otherworldly. “The Symphony of All Things’' alternates between whimsy and melancholy as it explores the cosmic web of connectivity. Inspired by the story of Othmer’s mom’s escape from East Germany, “Border” is a meditation on crossing thresholds between different realms and realities. “Bang Bang” is a moody take on the Nancy Sinatra classic, replete with rattles, drums, piano and voices. “Slip Away” is a melancholic disco dance party on the shores of a brooding sea. It plays with the metaphor of erosion—both the slipping away of a relationship and the losses we all face in a changing climate. The singles are being released alongside epic visuals created by The Forcefields as well as filmmaker Mikal Shapiro and animator Sarah Hearn.

"One of the best things, amongst many great things to be found in the current musical landscape, now that we have abandoned our old tribalistic sonic ways and embraced the new, post-genre attitude, is the rise of bands such as The Forcefields.” Dave Franklin - The Big Takeover

www.theforcefields.com

The Forcefields is a new collaboration between Julia Othmer and James T Lundie AKA - Max and Aayama Forcefield

About Schtumm....

Book your seat in advance for free to let us know you're attending and pay £10 cash on the door. This goes to the musicians playing on the night. The Schtumm team works voluntarily to enable grassroots music to grow and the venue makes what it can from drinks sales.

Held in the grounds of The Queens Head in Box, Wiltshire. SN13 8NH

A country pub serving fine ales, a wide range of gin, wines and non alcoholic drinks. Independent food vendors are also present at some events.

Indoors - The Longroom

An intimate space used during the winter months with a maximum capacity of 40 seated.

The Magical Marquee

A gorgeous marquee, enjoy the live music whilst the sun sets in the Spring and Summer months. Maximum seated capacity of 60 and 20 standing.

The Steve Hall Arena

Our largest open air space used for larger events in the summer months. 60 seated and as many as you like standing!

In case of poor weather, our outdoor arena events may be moved to the marquee.

Delays may occur in case of electrical storms but rain won't stop us!

Parking is available at The Selwyn Hall Car Park - a short walk from the venue.